Sexy scammers entice men into stripping on webcam, then blackmail them

People: don't take your clothes off for strangers on camera, m'kay?

Police in Singapore have issued an alert citing a dramatic rise in the number of "cyber blackmail" cases being reported. But unlike many cases that target women or teenagers, this latest rash of crimes targets men through social media sites.

The Singapore Police Force reports that there have been more than 50 reported cases in the last year where "foreign" women have lured men through invitations on social networks, such as Facebook and Tagged.com, into video sex sessions that are recorded for blackmail purposes.

The women "initiate cybersex" with the men over video chat, stripping for them and then encouraging them to do the same. The men are told to perform sex acts on camera for the women, and the video feeds are recorded. The men are then contacted later and told that the videos will be posted in public if the victims don't wire money to the scammers.

This is the second time this year that Singapore authorities have issued an alert regarding this sort of cyber-extortion. In August of 2012, police issued a similar warning after having more than 32 reported cases in the first half of the year. There were only 11 reports of similar cases in all of 2011.

The trend in Singapore mirrors an increase in reported cases worldwide where men are blackmailed over cybersex sessions. Last October, for example, extortionists used video of a Quebec businessman to attempt to extort him, even sending the video to the Canadian Broadcasting Company's French-language service in an attempt to pressure him to pay up. Five other men in Quebec and one woman were targeted by the same scammers.

Crimewatch, a Singapore television program, re-enacts (poorly) one episode of the recent cybersex blackmail scam wave.

As Sophos' Graham Cluley points out, the scam may go far beyond simple blackmail. The websites used for some of these chat sessions could be used to spread malware as well—and the scammers could even take over victims' webcams.

Singapore authorities issued the following advice to citizens regarding hooking up online:

Be wary of messages from unknown people who want to befriend you

Do not accede to any request that may put you in vulnerable positions, such as performing compromising acts in front of the webcam, or giving personal details about yourself when interacting with other internet users

If anyone attempts to extort money from you or should you become a victim of such an attempt, call the police immediately

Really? If somebody wants to see me naked they are more than welcome. Not sure if anybody would get any pleasure out of it but that's a different problem. That would really be the last thing you could blackmail me with. Are guys in other countries so different?

Ps: now the embarrassment of my terrible dance moves might be a different story...

Really? If somebody wants to see me naked they are more than welcome. Not sure if anybody would get any pleasure out of it but that's a different problem. That would really be the last thing you could blackmail me with. Are guys in other countries so different?

Ps: now the embarrassment of my terrible dance moves might be a different story...

What is it about the internet and hormones, that when mixed correctly in the right circumstances, makes one think that masturbating in front of a camera and a complete stranger is completely legit?

When the government feels it needs to warn it's citizens that touching their genitals on camera in front of strangers is a bad idea, I weep for humanity. Then I laugh a bit, but go back to weeping eventually.

Really? If somebody wants to see me naked they are more than welcome. Not sure if anybody would get any pleasure out of it but that's a different problem. That would really be the last thing you could blackmail me with. Are guys in other countries so different?

Ps: now the embarrassment of my terrible dance moves might be a different story...

It'd be worse if it was targeted - CEOs, politicians, etc.

They can lobby for some new laws as usual. So all in all give no fucks about poor ceos and politicians. If you are stupid you get what you deserve. End of story.

maybe we should go the other way with this. Once EVERYONE has a sextape online, then nobody can blackmail anyone else and there will be no need for anyone to be ashamed or embarrassed about it. I'm gonna go set up my camera and get started on mine right now!

Really? If somebody wants to see me naked they are more than welcome. Not sure if anybody would get any pleasure out of it but that's a different problem. That would really be the last thing you could blackmail me with. Are guys in other countries so different?

I think it's less "naked" than "engaged in sexual acts" that is the blackmail, particularly if the man involved is also involved in a relationship and is, by the terms of that relationship, cheating or doing something wrong.

I always think before I communicate is any form of tech that it could be leaked or proven it was me. Kinda like always thinking your phone is bugged. Now I am not a super paranoid person or really do much wrong but why doesn't everyone think like that?

Really? If somebody wants to see me naked they are more than welcome. Not sure if anybody would get any pleasure out of it but that's a different problem. That would really be the last thing you could blackmail me with. Are guys in other countries so different?

Ps: now the embarrassment of my terrible dance moves might be a different story...

Good to know that you're financially secure.

As it is now common practice to make an online search for anything and everything about prospective hires, I imagine a public video like this would probably make it difficult to get a decent job.

Umm this is why you (a) don't show your face on these services, (b) don't use a service like Facebook to initiate these encounters, (c) remove personally identifiable artifacts in the background that can identify it as "your" home.

I always think before I communicate is any form of tech that it could be leaked or proven it was me. Kinda like always thinking your phone is bugged. Now I am not a super paranoid person or really do much wrong but why doesn't everyone think like that?

Please tell me you meant that to be funny. Because if so: classic comedy. Bravo to you, sir.

Really? If somebody wants to see me naked they are more than welcome. Not sure if anybody would get any pleasure out of it but that's a different problem. That would really be the last thing you could blackmail me with. Are guys in other countries so different?

I think it's less "naked" than "engaged in sexual acts" that is the blackmail, particularly if the man involved is also involved in a relationship and is, by the terms of that relationship, cheating or doing something wrong.

A buddy of mine just got caught up in this too. Only he bought the webcam for the woman and sent it to her, with his return address on the package no doubt. Now she has an explicit video of him and knows where he lives. I'd love to be the fly on the wall when his woman finds out.

I broke up with my girlfriend of 5 years about a year ago, and I assured her that nothing that had something risque to do with her would end up on the internet. Even though she cheated on me, and I hated her for quite some time, having something like that on the internet can really ruin someone's life. I could have seriously hurt her with something like that, but I'm not that kind of person. Someone who does something like this kind of deserves punishment for being dumb, but the other side of the coin is releasing something like this from someone that trusts you that's really awful.

Sure the easy thing is to call these people stupid or reckless, but they were only acting on impulse because they were horny. Ars readers act if they never act on impulse, but that's usually the tone of intellectual people. They never admit to acting irrational unless they did something brilliant to make up for it.

That would really be the last thing you could blackmail me with. Are guys in other countries so different?

I take it your not married then or probably divorced.If we guys freak out when our beloved is naked putting on a show online, don't you think that our beloved feels the same way too when we do it?You dont have to be a c.e.o, or in the big leagues.Your significant other is more than capable of making you feel your "big mistake" because you are important to her.Or what if your pre pubescent kids find out hmm?Or your troublesome in laws?

I'm surprised to see people taking the less empathic route in the comments here.

I think the issue at play here is the idea that we believe our acts to be private, even when it is on the internet, and no one really expects to be extorted or blackmailed, similar to how no one wants their name associated with porn in public (e.g. the basis for Prenda Law's litigation extortion). Porn still has a taboo in American society and many other cultures. The threat of putting it in public is a fearful prospect for many.

Is this privacy a false expectation? Maybe. Are many stupid for doing it? As a privacy advocate, I'd say no. The internet has opened a world of positive experiences, and if adults wish to engage in private acts with another individual online, I see no reason to claim stupidity on their behalf for assuming the acts will remain private.

Or are the reactions in here simply because it is happening to men, and when men make mistakes other people prefer to point and laugh instead of seeing a wrong for what it is?

I always think before I communicate is any form of tech that it could be leaked or proven it was me. Kinda like always thinking your phone is bugged. Now I am not a super paranoid person or really do much wrong but why doesn't everyone think like that?

All I can say is... Well DUH!!! Someone Befriends you on the internet then next thing you know you are being asked to do something that you know is dodgey then next thing you know you get blackmailed... And you are outraged that you got used like this??? What the scammers are doing is absolutely wrong no denying it, but how stupid are these clowns doing the stripping? Clearly VERY!!! but get a frickin clue people!!! Jeez..

maybe we should go the other way with this. Once EVERYONE has a sextape online, then nobody can blackmail anyone else and there will be no need for anyone to be ashamed or embarrassed about it. I'm gonna go set up my camera and get started on mine right now!

What is it about the internet and hormones, that when mixed correctly in the right circumstances, makes one think that masturbating in front of a camera and a complete stranger is completely legit?

When the government feels it needs to warn it's citizens that touching their genitals on camera in front of strangers is a bad idea, I weep for humanity. Then I laugh a bit, but go back to weeping eventually.

This. I find it really odd to say the least.

Then again people throughout history have done far stupider things than this.

maybe we should go the other way with this. Once EVERYONE has a sextape online, then nobody can blackmail anyone else and there will be no need for anyone to be ashamed or embarrassed about it. I'm gonna go set up my camera and get started on mine right now!

The first sex crime in the history of mankind that will be taken seriously by our misogynist world - it's perpetrated against men.

Conversely I don't think it is appropriate when it is against women either (e.g. Ars' other articles about IsAnyoneUp/down). A lot of comments left from those articles suggest a lot of angst against the perpetrators of those crimes, especially those imagining their own kids involved in such incidents. Yet the opposite is at play in here. Interesting, no?

The social/behavioral scientist in me wonders how lonely/disconnected/something else these guys must be to go along with such obviously risky behavior.

Also, when do we get the leaked Manti T'eo strip dance? That's the only logical (or appropriately entertaining) conclusion to this story.

I think it's a pretty simple equation. They can see someone naked if they themselves get naked. That's a pretty reasonable exchange.

ws3 wrote:

Good to know that you're financially secure.

As it is now common practice to make an online search for anything and everything about prospective hires, I imagine a public video like this would probably make it difficult to get a decent job.

I wonder how much of a threat it could reasonably be. Online searching can only be damaging if it shows up in online searches. Given that there would probably be very little demand for such videos and that they are probably not going to be hosted on legitimate sites, I don't see them showing up easily on the first couple of pages on Google.

Sean Gallagher / Sean is Ars Technica's IT Editor. A former Navy officer, systems administrator, and network systems integrator with 20 years of IT journalism experience, he lives and works in Baltimore, Maryland.